All Work and No Play
by I'vebeenLOKI'Dyetagain
Summary: All work and no play makes David a dull boy. Good thing he has his friend Tommy to annoy him and remind him not to be so serious all the time. (Or: a fairly typical workday for David Alleyne and Tommy Shepherd.)


**AN: This takes place post-_YOUNG AVENGERS (2013), _and close after my story _The Tommy Problem. _It is not a sequel, and you certainly don't have to read that story to read this one, but there are some references to it.  
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**I don't own these characters. This is for entertainment purposes only. **

* * *

><p><strong><em><span>All Work and No Play<span>_**

David walked into the coffee shop to find Tommy already there.

"Drinks on me today!" Tommy said, grinning as he waved a small plastic card in front of David's face. "Billy bought me a giftcard for this place! Apparently he was going to get me a Starbucks gift card, but somebody told him that I liked this place way better. Remind me to thank that person sometime. You getting your usual?"

"Yeah."

Tommy sauntered over to the counter to order.

David had staked out a table, and a few minutes later Tommy returned with their caffeinated drinks.

The genius stirred his coffee. "So," he ventured, "I heard you got kidnapped by Deadpool."

"Yeah," Tommy grinned, taking a swig from his drink, his eyes immediately going wide at it burned his tongue. He stuck his tongue out and waved a breeze over it with his hand, as if that would help, before continuing, "Apparently I really drive Billy _bananas. _But it wasn't that bad, actually. In fact, Wade's a pretty cool guy, lots of fun to be around. _Way _less serious than Billy and you. Great singing voice, too. And the guy's a genius. Not the same kind of genius as you, but still a genius."

"Most people would label him as 'insane,' not 'genius,'" David remarked, blowing on the top of his drink before taking a sip.

Tommy waved a hand airily. "Insanity, genius, they're so close to the same thing they overlap all over the place. So, yeah, I got kidnapped by Deadpool. It was fun. I recommend it." Tommy grinned, taking another sip of his drink, only to make a face as it burned his tongue again. "Man, I always forget how long it takes for coffee to cool down. But anyway, how was work while I was gone? Any interesting cases?"

"Well," David said, smirking slightly as he held his hot cup of coffee between his hands, "there was this kid who needed to get a lot of money fast so that the mercenary he'd hired to kidnap his brother didn't come after him."

"Ha!" Tommy said as he picked up his drink again. "Of course Billy would have to go to you for help with that. Tell me," he leaned forward, grinning, "how much did he pay Deadpool to kidnap me? He wouldn't tell me."

"I wouldn't take a sip yet, your coffee's still scalding," David offered, saving Tommy, who was just about to take another sip, from burning his tongue yet again. "And the amount Billy paid was ridiculous. You must have _really _ticked him off."

"I must've," Tommy agreed with a smirk. "It is just _so _easy to get under his skin." Before David could stop him Tommy took a sip of his too-hot coffee, stuck his burnt tongue out again, and then took another large sip anyway.

David shook his head, blowing softly over the surface of the deep brown liquid in his cup.

"So, any other interesting cases?" Tommy asked, twirling his stirring stick between his fingers. "If needing money was the most interesting one, you must'a had a terribly dull week!"

"Well, there was this one case—"

"Was it ninjas?" Tommy interrupted.

"No, it was actually—"

"Samurai? The Hand? Oh wait, don't tell me it was the X-Men! That would be hilarious."

"No, but—"

And then somebody walking by in the coffee shop, bumping their table and knocking their drinks over. The coffees would have fallen and spilled all their contents, but Tommy, with his superfast reflexes, managed to grab them both before they fell, righting them before even a drop had tipped out.

"Hey, you jerk!" Tommy shouted furiously, getting out of his seat to yell at the person. "Why don't you be careful where you're going!"

David sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Let it go, Tommy."

Huffing, Tommy dropped back into his seat, crossing his arms. "Nobody messes with my coffee. Hey, man, do you always have a headache or somethin'?"

"What?" David said, glancing over at the speedster, blinking behind his orange-tinted glasses.

"You're always rubbing at your head," Tommy observed, making a gesture to indicate his own forehead. "Are you always on the verge of a headache? Or is it just frustration with the rest of the world for being so stupid? Which I totally get, because I know how annoying it can be waiting for the everyone to catch up, but you shouldn't let people give you headaches, 'cause you're going to end up doing something stupid like hiring Deadpool to kidnap me." Tommy gasped. "You wouldn't do that, would you?!"

"No..." David said.

Grinning, Tommy slugged Prodigy in the shoulder. "And that's why you're so smart! We should probably get in to work, yeah?" The speedster took a phone out of the back pocket of his pants, glancing at the time. "Oops! I have a contract huge contract due in like ten minutes! See you!"

Tommy grabbed his coffee, pressed a lid over the top, and took off.

David just shook his head.

* * *

><p>A screw here, there's another screw, this chip goes there, this goes like this, that goes like that, more screwing in of tiny little screws, this part of the tech gizmo goes like that while the other part goes like this, lots of screwing in of tiny screws, press this in there, pop this in just like so, this wire plugs in like that, this one like this, the entire thing snaps into place like so, some more screws go into place, done, repeat. And repeat and repeat and repeat.<p>

Boring, dull, repetitive, hellish. But hey, it pays. Even if it's exhausting and his vision is blurring slightly. Maybe he hasn't been getting enough sleep. Whatever.

Taking a moment, Tommy grabbed his coffee on the table, taking a large drink before diving back into his work.

A screw here, there's another screw, this chip goes there, this goes like this, that goes like that, more screwing in of tiny little screws, this part of the tech gizmo goes like that while the other part goes like this, lots of screwing in of tiny screws, press this in there, pop this in just like so, this wire plugs in like that, this one like this, the entire thing snaps into place like so, some more screws go into place, done, repeat. And repeat and repeat and repeat.

Another sip of coffee. Wonderful, wonderful coffee. Instant energy.

Back to work.

A screw here, there's another screw, this chip goes there, this goes like this, that goes like that, more screwing in of tiny little screws, this part of the tech gizmo goes like that while the other part goes like this, lots of screwing in of tiny screws, press this in there, pop this in just like so, this wire plugs in like that, this one like this, the entire thing snaps into place like so, some more screws go into place, done, repeat. And repeat and repeat and repeat.

Coffee break.

And repeat.

* * *

><p>"Hey David, let's get lunch," Tommy said as he poked his head into David's office.<p>

Prodigy shot him a glare, telephone pressed against his ear.

"Oh, sorry," Tommy grinned apologetically, coming all the way into the office and shutting the door behind him, wandering over to fiddle with the row of pens lined up on the genius's desk.

"No, you don't want to do that, that will only make the bomb blow up even before the timer goes off," David was saying into the phone as he spun in his desk chair to face away from the speedster. "Here's what you do: you—" he happened to glance to the side at what Tommy was doing. "No! Don't do that!" David said, snatching the paper the speedster had been doodling on away from him, glaring.

Tommy pouted.

"No, sorry, I wasn't talking to you," David apologized into the phone, turning away from Tommy again. "Actually yes, I was talking to you as well. Now you need to take the green wire... _not _the red one, the _green _one... and you want to cut it... what do you mean? Oh wait, you're colorblind, aren't you? Great. Do you have anyone else with you who happens to not be colorblind?"

No longer with any paper to doodle on, Tommy picked up a ballpoint pen, took off the cap, and then proceeded to play a game where he would toss the cap into the air and then move the pen in his hand to try to get the cap to fall right onto the point.

"...No? Okay, then listen carefully. You're going to need to trace the wires back and determine which one comes out right next to the black one... no, you don't cut that one! Cut the other one!" David rose slightly in his seat and banged a palm against the table, causing the pens lying there to jump a centimeter. "You're running out of time, just cut the wire already!"

A few moments later and David was collapsing back into his seat, rubbing at his temples with the hand that wasn't still holding the phone. "Of course it worked... now you just need to find the rest of the bombs and do the same thing. Good luck." Sighing, David hung up the phone.

"Man," Tommy said, clapping the genius on the shoulder. "You are _so _stressed. Let's go grab some noodles!"

* * *

><p>"Rough day?" Tommy asked as he shoveled noodles into his mouth with a pair of chopsticks.<p>

David shrugged. "No more so than usual. You?"

"Doing the same thing over and over and over?" the speedster picked up some noodles with the chopsticks, then let them drop back into the container, then picking them back up again. "Every time is worse. But!" he continued with a grin, "Every time is faster, too!" He started shoveling in noodles again.

"By how much? A second?" David asked skeptically.

Tommy's cheeks were full and noodles were sticking out of his mouth, getting butter on his chin. "Might not be significant to you, but it is to me. And hey," he hurriedly swallowed and pointed his chopsticks at David, "look on the bright side of your job. At least you get to use all that crazy genius to do some problem-solving, even if you do have to deal with some idiots."

"I wasn't complaining," David said, chopsticks with noodles paused halfway to his face.

"It's all over your face, Prodigy," Tommy shrugged. The noodles in his container were almost gone by now. "Did you never absorb any kind of poker or acting skills?" The last of the noodles disappeared into his mouth, and he folded the cardboard container, before suddenly appearing to have a napkin and wiping the butter from his face.

"I'm excellent at poker," David said. He was eating far more slowly and neatly than Tommy had.

"I'll bet you are," Tommy grinned, tossing the cardboard container across the room into the trash, sending it sailing over the heads of the people sitting at the table next to him, earning him some glares that he seemed completely oblivious of. "You know, Thor has a poker night at this bar in New York, everybody goes—Wolverine, Thing, Gambit, etcetera—I bet we could get in, and I'm _sure_ I could convince them to let us join. I'd love to see you win all their money."

"By 'convince them' you mean 'annoy the hell out of them until they give you your way,' don't you?" David said, an eyebrow quirking.

"Hey," Tommy said, shrugging in a way that was so blatantly humble it was cocky. "Whatever works, right?" He grinned.

David had noodles in his mouth, and took the time to chew and swallow, making an 'I'm working on it' motion with his chopsticks, before say, "Yeah, sure. As long as you know that you can survive their anger."

"Pffft," Tommy waved a hand, smirking. "Like they could _catch _me."

"Deadpool did," David pointed out.

"Yeah, well, Deadpool's crazy genius," Tommy shrugged. "It's hard to beat crazy genius. I mean, fire sprinklers filled with that chocolate sauce that hardens. In a warehouse full of pyrotechnic equipment when you might actually need the fire sprinklers to put a fire out. Who _does _that?"

"He does have the skill of being unpredictable and illogical," David agreed, finally finishing his noodles and folding the container. "But Thor has the skill of being able to call down lightning bolts."

"Lightning bolts shmitning bolts," Tommy said flippantly, tossing one chopstick at the garbage, then the other chopstick, then the napkin. The napkin however wasn't going to make it, so Tommy zipped over and snatched it out of the air, depositing it in the trash before returning to the position he'd been in.

"You really aren't afraid of using your powers in public, are you?" David said as he stood up and cleaned up his own stuff, though he kept his voice low.

Tommy shrugged again. "Did you see me move?"

"Not really..." David admitted.

"And there you go," Tommy grinned, clapping a hand on David's shoulder as they exited the noodle place. "So, back to work for you, then?" He stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah."

"I'm off until this evening," Tommy said, pulling out a hand to glance at his watch. "I think I'll go annoy my brother some more. You have anything you want me to tell Billy? Or Teddy?"

David flushed slightly, looking away. "Um... just 'hi,' I guess."

"'Um... just hi, I guess,'" Tommy repeated, making sure he got it right. He smirked. "Got it."

Then he ran off before David could try even try to amend his message.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, after another five minutes (five fucking weeks) of work, Tommy caught up to David as he was leaving.<p>

"Hey!" Tommy punched David's shoulder. "Billy says: 'Right...' and Teddy says: 'Tell him just hi, I guess, himself.'"

"Yeah, Billy's still made at me," David said, glancing away.

"Cheer up! You are always _so _serious," Tommy said, rolling his eyes, before grinning. He had this kind of crazy grin, like he was constantly running on an adrenalin high. "You got any plans tonight?"

"Sleep," David said.

"Because I was thinking that we could hit a club later," Tommy continued casually.

David sighed. "You keep inviting me, and I keep saying no. Do you ever get a hint?"

"Maybe your mood would improve if you got out and met some people," Tommy retorted, nudging him with an elbow and smirking. "You know, a smart, attractive girl. Or a smart, attractive guy. Worst comes to worst you get to dance for a few hours and forget about whatever it is that makes you so _serious _all the time." Tommy raised his eyebrows. "Surely you absorbed some dance moves when you had your powers? I mean, if you absorbed how all the major X-Men like to wipe themselves, then surely—"

"Look, Tommy," David said with a longsuffering sigh, "I don't..."

"Don't what?" Tommy asked, glancing up and down the dark street. There were people about, cars on the road, streetlights and neon signs, but it wasn't anywhere near as crazy as New York city. "Hey, are you craving pizza? Because I am totally craving pizza right now."

"I'm not..."

"There's a great pizza place down this way!" Tommy took the other boy's arm and started dragging him down the sidewalk. "It's not that far, I'm sure you can walk there."

"About that kiss..."

"Which one? When you kissed Teddy, or when you kissed the Patri-not that turned into me?"

"Um, yeah, see... I wasn't kissing _you... _and I don't think I'm over Teddy..."

"_Relax," _Tommy said, turning his head to look at the genius with a smirk, before shifting his attention back to where he was going, weaving himself and David through the somewhat crowded sidewalk."I know all that. You know, for someone who is a genius multiplied by an enormous number, you really are an idiot sometimes. And I am totally _not _hitting on you."

"I _know_ that," David said, sighing and rubbing his forehead with the hand that wasn't attached to the arm that the speedster was pulling him with. "But I still can't figure out _why _you insist on bothering me all the time."

"Ha!" Tommy snorted. "You think _this _is me being bothersome?" He turned, giving the genius a gleeful grin. "You should see what I do to my _brother." _

"Given that it was enough to make him hire _Deadpool _to kidnap you, I really don't think I want to," David grumbled.

"But anyways, to answer your question," Tommy continued, pulling David across the crosswalk even though the red hand had just stopped flashing, and the light for the cars was about to turn green, "you're the only person at work around my age, so therefore you are immediately my go-to for social interaction. Also, you're my friend. And you're kind of part of the Young Avengers, now, too, so you're going to be kind of stuck seeing me anyway. And _somebody _needs to make sure get out and enjoy your life, because you only get one. So you might as well make the best of it, you know?"

Coming up to the pizza shop, Tommy opened the door and stepped inside, not bothering to hold open the door for David, just dragging the other boy inside. "Ta-daaa! Pizza, and it's New York style! Obviously not quite as good as the New York pizza that actually comes from New York, but still, it's pretty good. Nothing fancy, but it's alright."

As they stood in line to order, Tommy turned to David with an expectant grin. "So, you gonna hit a club with me later?"

David sighed and rubbed his face around his eyes, lifting up his glasses to do so, managing to look absolutely exhausted. "No."

"You really are _no _fun whatsoever," Tommy said, shaking his head of messy white hair exasperatedly.

"Yeah, but I'm a genius," David replied. "You go find a table, I'll order for both of us."

"Fine," Tommy said, starting to walk away, before calling back, "but if you—!"

"But if I order anchovy pizza, you'll kill me," David stated. "Yes, I know."

* * *

><p>"You <em>sure <em>you won't come to a club with me?" Tommy asked as they left the pizza shop.

"Yes, I'm sure," David answered. "I really need to crash out. I have to wake up early for work tomorrow."

"All work and no play makes David a dull boy," Tommy said, shaking a finger at him.

David shrugged. "Not all of us need to live in perpetual movement."

"Touché."

"See you tomorrow at work?" David said as he turned to walk away.

Tommy was already moving off, turning to wave unceremoniously over his shoulder. "Yeah, see you!"

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><p><strong>AN: I just wanted to write Tommy and David interacting :3<strong>


End file.
